Exploring Fusarium wilt in Castor Plant: A Comprehensive Overview
L. S. Chaudhary *
Department of Entomology, NMCA, NAU, Navsari- 396450, India.
M. A. Chaudhari
Department of Entomology, NMCA, NAU, Navsari- 396450, India.
H. K. Chaudhary
Department of Entomology, NMCA, NAU, Navsari- 396450, India.
S. S. Kansara
Department of Plant Pathology, NMCA, NAU, Navsari-396450, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Wilt of castor (Ricinus communis) plant caused by xylem inhabiting fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ricini (Fusari), which gives way to opportunistic pathogens such as R. reniformis, a nematode, resulting in massive agricultural production loss and an increase in disease severity when both are involved. Disease prevalence varied greatly between crop stages and cultivars. The genotypes GP-640, JI-35, RG-3477, and SKI-341 were highly susceptible, while RG-1916, RG-155, RG-1647, AP-163, Ap-33, Ap-156, Ap56, Ap-42, Ap-200, Ap-180, and Ap-171 were resistant against castor wilt. In vitro evaluation of the castor crop as a component crop revealed a maximum and minimum wilt occurrence rate of 48% and 1-6% in Groundnut + Castor (5:1) and Pigeonpea + Castor (1:1) intercropping, respectively. In GCH-4, treatment of the seeds with carbendazim at 1g/kg soil was shown to be the most efficient in lowering disease prevalence (24.4%) while also producing a high seed production of 1123 kg/h.
Keywords: Castor, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ricini, castor wilt, IDM